UK employees stuck in neutral

Engaged, motivated employees offer a host of benefits to their organizations.

Engaged, motivated employees offer a host of benefits to their organizations. They tend to be more productive, perform better, develop positive workplace environments and remain loyal to their companies. Consequently, it's in a business's best interests to fuel engagement. Unfortunately, many U.K. organizations are falling short on this goal, according to a recent report.

Not disengaged, but not engaged, either
According to CIPD's Spring 2013 Employee Outlook, the majority of employees in the U.K. are "neutral" – neither engaged nor disengaged. Although it's better to have workers that are somewhat ambivalent about their jobs than actively hostile or apathetic, allowing 60 percent of the workforce to remain in a rather lukewarm state isn't doing much for the U.K. economy or businesses' success.

There were some improvements in the conditions within U.K. companies, however. The study showed an increased level of satisfaction with immediate supervisors, communications and – to a slight degree – work-life balance. Although stress levels also rose, these results are somewhat promising because attributes like good relationships and transparency often lead to better engagement levels.

Kicking engagement into high gear
To boost those engagement levels, leaders may need to take a more active approach. Resources such as employee reward and recognition programs can help managers with motivation strategies. These pointers can fuel sales incentives and other engagement solutions:

Get to know your workers. Not only does this help foster better workplace relationships, it can also enable organizations to tailor their reward programs to employee preferences. Providing more enticing incentives will boost participation.

Be cognizant of stress levels and work-life balance. Companies may need to adjust their goals and rewards based on fluctuations in workplace demands, which may alleviate some of the pressures that cause workers to distance themselves from their jobs.

Give employees progress markers. By allowing workers to track their own metrics and results, organizations can inspire them to take more interest in the contributions they make on a daily basis.